Compiler: Tom Burke, Tony Lauro
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County

Transcriber: Ben Cacace

BEGIN TAPE

Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, March 8th 2013 at 7pm. The highlights of today's tape are VARIED THRUSH, GYRFALCON, PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, ROSS'S GOOSE, TUFTED DUCK, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, EURASIAN WIGEON, BLACK-HEADED GULL and pelagic trip results including COMMON MURRE.

On Thursday a male VARIED THRUSH was found in Prospect Park and was still present there today. The thrush has been near the Nethermead's Three Arches Bridge in the center of the park mostly along the wooded slope on the north side of the bridge especially on some snow free ground near a Yew Tree. Hopefully it will be relocated there tomorrow.

The subadult gray morph GYRFALCON seen nicely last weekend and again Monday with a report also on Tuesday along the marshes north of Gilgo has unfortunately not been noted since. Negative news previously though had not signaled its departure as it did reappear so it may not be gone yet. The GYRFALCON has favored the marshy islands just north of the Gilgo parking lot often sitting on the Osprey platform slightly to the northwest but it has also ranged east as far as Cedar Beach Marina as well as west of that location. Most frequently though it has been spotted from the Gilgo parking lot.

Some of the more unusual waterfowl do continue in the area. The drake TUFTED DUCK was still at Heckscher Park in Huntington to Wednesday this park off Route 25A and Park Avenue and the second drake continued at Blydenburgh Park south of Route 25 in Smithtown at least to Sunday. A female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was still with Commons in Fire Island Inlet off Cedar Beach as of Monday and another female was spotted off the north shore of Long Island at Caumsett State Park last Saturday. The Riverhead area's ROSS'S GOOSE was seen again on Merritt's Pond in Riverhead last Sunday this an overnight roosting area and then on Wednesday it was picked up feeding with Canadas north of Sound Avenue near the end of Route 105. A CACKLING GOOSE was also at the latter site Sunday with a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE also there Wednesday. Seven EURASIAN WIGEONS were counted Saturday on the pond at the West Sayville Golf Club just south of Montauk Highway at Route 27A these including 3 females. Up in Orange County the PINK-FOOTED GOOSE was last noted Sunday at the Camel Farm just west of Route 12 where a ROSS'S GOOSE was found Thursday. GREATER WHITE-FRONTED and CACKLING GEESE were also in that area on Sunday.

Two BLACK-HEADED GULLS remain in the Montauk area but the immature seen at Ditch Plains and the adult at the south end of Lake Montauk off South Lake Drive both last Sunday. An ICELAND GULL was spotted again last Saturday on the Central Park reservoir with another still at Iron Pier in Northville on Sunday. A lingering RED-NECKED GREBE was still around the Captree State Park boat basin Monday and an arriving PIPING PLOVER was back at Point Lookout last Sunday. Some returning PINE SISKINS appeared in Prospect Park yesterday and some WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS are still in the area.

To phone in reports on Long Island, call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or during the day except Sunday call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.